Jim Bridenstine | Representative for the 1st District of Oklahoma

Jim Bridenstine for Congress

Jim Bridenstine was elected in 2012 to represent Oklahoma’s First Congressional District. Jim is an Eagle Scout and combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan where he flew the E-2C Hawkeye as a Navy pilot off the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. It was there that he gathered most of his 1,900 flight hours and 333 carrier arrested landings. After combat, he transitioned to the F-18 Hornet and flew at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, the parent command to TOPGUN. After 9 years active duty with the Navy, he and his wife Michelle returned to Tulsa where he became the Executive Director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium.

Bridenstine was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2010 flying missions in Central and South America in support of America’s war on drugs. Recently he transitioned to the 137th Air Refueling Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, where he will fly with an MC-12 squadron stationed at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.

A graduate of Jenks High School, Jim attended Rice University on a swimming scholarship where he earned a triple major in business, economics, and psychology. He holds an MBA from Cornell University and his professional background includes business experience in real estate, ranching, aerospace, and defense contracting.

Jim Bridenstine currently serves as a Major in the Oklahoma Air National Guard. Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform do not imply endorsement from the Oklahoma Air National Guard or the Department of Defense.